


All In

by StBridget



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:34:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23087848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StBridget/pseuds/StBridget
Summary: Magnum's had enough of relationships, but Rick won't let him give up.  Can he convince Magnum to take a chance on what he really wants?
Relationships: Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV/Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright
Comments: 13
Kudos: 55





	All In

**Author's Note:**

> Magnum, P.I. is property of CBS and its creators.
> 
> Inspired by Garth Brooks' Standing Outside the Fire.

Magnum sat at the bar nursing a beer, letting the music wash over him. It was a pleasant background sound, blending in with the soft hum of people talking. It was so much better than the King Kamehameha Club—always loud, music thumping, lights flashing, people packed so close together you couldn’t move without bumping into someone.

Magnum liked it better this way. He could sit at the bar and wallow in self-pity without anyone bothering him. Magnum had already had three shots of tequila before the beer, and he was feeling pleasantly buzzed—or maybe not so pleasantly. He’d had just enough to start feeling really maudlin, and he was reveling in it.

Usually Magnum wouldn’t indulge like this, in the alcohol or the wallowing, but he’d just gotten an email from Abby gushing about her new project and how she’d found a benefactor and what a wonderful person he was. Magnum knew it was probably nothing more than a business arrangement, but it still hurt, especially since there wasn’t an “I miss you” anywhere in the note. Abby _always_ said “I miss you,” and the lack of it hit home to Magnum that she wasn’t coming back, she wasn’t his anymore, and no matter how much Magnum wanted it, that wasn’t going to change.

Magnum sighed. It seemed no matter how much effort he put into his relationships, they were doomed from the get go: Hannah turned him over to the Taliban, Abby dumped him as soon as things got rough, and then there was Rick., who Magnum wanted maybe most of all. Rick was like a brother to him, although Magnum was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to want to make love to your brother.

Magnum looked over to where the object of his very unrequited affection was hitting on Quinn, again. Magnum had to admire Rick’s persistence. How many times did that make now? At least five, Magnum was sure. Maybe more. Ever since the 5-0 crowd started hanging out here, Rick had attempted to win Quinn over. Each time, she turned him down.

This time seemed no different. Quinn said something, and with a shrug, Rick ambled back over to the bar, leaning against it next to Magnum.

“She shoot you down again?” Magnum asked, sympathetically. Rick nodded. “Why, this time? The job again?”

“Yeah. She said she didn’t want to date a criminal.”

That was a new one. “A criminal? How does she figure that? You’re a decorated war hero, not a criminal.”

“She said with as many times as Katsumoto has threatened to arrest you, one of these days, he’s going to succeed, and with the way you always involve me in your messes, I was probably going to be right there with you,” Rick explained.

“Hey, I resent that,” Magnum protested. “Katsumoto wouldn’t arrest me!” Rick eyed him dubiously. “He wouldn’t!”

Rick dismissed the topic. “Whatever.” He turned the conversation onto Magnum. “So, what about you? You going to sit here wallowing in your misery, or are you going to come have some fun?”

“Thanks, but I’m doing just fine,” Magnum said.

“C’mon, you can’t mope over your failed relationship with Abby forever. Forget her. There’s plenty of women here who’d love to spend time with you,” Rick said.

“No, thanks. I’m giving up on relationships.” Especially since the one he really wanted was out of his reach. After this, it was Rick or no one, and since he didn’t have a prayer with Rick, no one it was.

“Ah, Tommy, where’s the fun in that? You gotta try again. You never know when you might find the one,” Rick coaxed.

Magnum had found the one. Three times. Two had crashed and burned, and he wasn’t going to risk one of the three best relationships in his life for the third. “I don’t think she--” or he-- “is out there, Rick. Not if I haven’t found her yet.” And not if he’d never see Magnum as more than a friend.

“You can’t give up,” Rick said. “Just because you might get hurt doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”

“Like you and Quinn? Or you and Toni?” Magnum hoped the bitterness didn’t come through.

Rick wasn’t bothered by Magnum’s words. “Exactly. Maybe those didn’t work out. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop trying. If you stand outside the fire, you won’t get burned, but you’ll never find true love either.”

“I don’t think I believe in true love anymore,” Magnum said.

“Tommy, Tommy, Tommy,” Rick said, shaking his head. “When did you get so jaded? What can I do to change your mind?”

_Love me,_ Magnum wanted to say, but didn’t. “I don’t think you can.”

“There has to be someone you’re interested in. Or maybe one of the women here,” Rick insisted.

Magnum snorted. “I don’t think a one night stand is going to turn out to be the love of my life.”

“Who said anything about a one night stand?” Rick said. “This isn’t some seedy bar people use to hook up. This is a respectable establishment. Find a woman, buy her a drink, have some conversation, and see where it goes.”

“No, thanks,” Magnum said, hoping Rick would drop the subject.

“So, you’re just going to sit at the bar and let life pass you by, is that it?” Rick said.

“I’m not going to let life pass me buy,” Magnum said.

“If you’re not going to take a chance, you are,” Rick said. “C’mon, Tommy boy, put yourself out there.”

Rick’s words hit home. He was right. Magnum wasn’t the type to sit on the sidelines, but that’s what he was doing. He may not tomcat around like Higgins thought, but he could put himself out there, except. . .”The person I want doesn’t want me.”

“How do you know?” Rick asked. “Have you asked her?”

“No,” Magnum said. And he wouldn’t. There was too much at stake if Rick said no.

“Then you don’t know,” Rick said, definitively. “Take a chance, Magnum. What’s the worst that could happen?”

_You’ll hate me and never speak to me again_ , Magnum thought. “I don’t want to risk our friendship.”

Rick looked at Magnum, thoughtfully. “Someone close to you, then. Higgins?”

“No, not Higgins,” Magnum said. He prayed Rick would drop it.

Rick clearly wasn’t going to. “Who, then?”

Magnum was silent.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rick said. “Any one of us would say yes, I’m sure. And if not, you wouldn’t lose our friendship.”

Magnum looked sharply at Rick. There was something in his words. . .It gave Magnum hope that maybe, just maybe, if he just put himself out there, he might get what he wanted. At the very least, Rick was right—there was too much between them for their friendship to die just because Rick wasn’t interested. 

Fuck it, Magnum didn’t want to waste away not knowing if he could have had what he wanted all along. “What if it’s you?” Magnum blurted out before he thought better of it.

He expected Rick to laugh it off as a joke, or let him down gently, or even just walk away. Instead, Rick looked Magnum straight in the eye. “You’ll never know unless you ask.”

Was Rick flirting with him, or was he just making Magnum say it to prove a point? Well, Magnum had come this far; he might as well go all in. “I’m asking. I want you, Rick, I have for a long time. Do you want me?”

Rick didn’t answer immediately, and Magnum felt his hope die. So much for taking risks. He was just about to say something, anything, to diffuse the situation, when Rick placed a hand on his cheek.

“Of course, I want you, Tommy. Why wouldn’t I?”

Magnum covered Rick’s hand with his own, his heart beating wildly. “I’m serious, Rick. If we do this, you’re it for me. Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

Rick brought his other hand up to frame Magnum’s face. “I mean it, Tommy. We do this, we do this all the way. I’m willing to take the chance if you are. Are you?”

Magnum searched Rick’s face. This was it. This was what  Magnum had been waiting for. He could either reach  out and grab it with both hands, or he could walk away now.  Either stay safely outside the fire, or risk getting burned.  Magnum made his decision. “Yeah, I am.”

Rick leaned in and kissed Magnum, firmly but chastely. Even that small taste sparked something in Magnum. When Rick pulled away, Magnum reached out, drawing him back in. Magnum kissed Rick, hungrily, reveling in the soft, sweet lips that opened for him. Magnum dove right in, mapping every inch of Rick’s mouth with his tongue. It was more wonderful than he’d ever imagined, and it was real. Magnum pressed harder, trying to deepen the kiss even more.

Rick pushed gently at Magnum’s chest. Magnum pulled away instantly. “What’s wrong?  I thought you wanted this. ”

Rick gave Magnum a quick kiss. “Nothing’s wrong, except we’re in my place of business. Don’t want to set a bad example.”

Magnum sighed in relief.  Was that all? He could deal with that.  “Later, then?”

Rick gave him a smoldering look. “Definitely. As many laters as you want.”

Magnum liked the sound of that.  Maybe going all in wasn’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally, Rick was going to be the one taking the chance, but as I was writing it out in my head, Rick dared Magnum to take a chance, and Magnum responded. So, that's how it turned out.


End file.
